In agriculture the production has gone from manual manufacturing to industrial production. What used to be processed with simple farm machinery is now at times highly automated and has to be done rationally. This does in fact apply to all areas of agriculture, from tractors to combine harvesters and driverless machines for many different applications, but also to the accessories, like the small pieces of equipment used in agriculture.
Transfluid Mandrel bending machine DB 2060 CNC-SE
Transfluid, the specialist in tube processing machines and systems, has already been delivering its solution to this sector for many years. To show these capabilities, the company will be at Agritechnica in Hannover, Hall 16, Stand 03, Nov 10-16. “When we look at tube processing for manufacturing of agricultural machinery we see two key types: heavy tubes and profiles, that are often used in the construction of frames, and on the other hand the large hydraulics systems,” said Stefanie Flaeper, Managing Director at Transfluid.
Hydraulics is often the method used in agricultural machinery to drive, lift and move. Transfluid offers a wide range of machines suitable for the processing of the tubes for this application. From a simple bending machine with mandrel for mobile use and small numbers of tubes, such as the T bend DB 642K, to highly flexible CNC-controlled systems with short set-up time and ability to bend clockwise and counterclockwise, such as the T bend DB 630-CNC. Very fast processes and higher output are the results with these machines, Flaeper said. The drives of the tube processing machines are particularly high-performing and can be either hydraulic or electric with brushless motors, depending on preference. All the challenges are therefore met, whether it is small or large diameter tubes. Machines are available for extreme geometries, which can bend both clockwise and counterclokwise in one operation. These generally have an electric, brushless motor drive for large outputs.
Materials and geometries can be particularly challenging in terms of hydraulic tube on agriculture machinery. Transfluid tube bending machines accomplish these unique, small-batch designs easily.
Better processes with different materials and geometries
It is often the case that with hydraulic tubes there is a great variety of geometries and small numbers of production pieces. In this case, materials and geometries are particularly challenging. Although standard materials are used, other materials with significantly greater strength are used to meet the specifications. For this reason, the machines must offer the right level of flexibility. In this production area it can make sense to have a manufacturing model that is based on one-piece flow but it can be chaotic when tubes of different diameters are needed for a product. The stock levels can be reduced a lot and the tube is prepared completely before bending. “Our goal is to greatly simplify and optimize the production processes with our solutions. To do this, our machines will produce tubes that are completely ready for immediate use after the bending,” said Flaeper.
The first step is the cutting, which the T cut range takes care of. The cleaning and automatic application of cutting rings and many different types of forming are also required. The forming and the cutting rings can be processed both ways in this case. The Transfluid cleaning systems automatically deliver clean tubes. The experts offer the complete processing of tubes and, if needed, also the right automations systems with t motion, for a completely automated production.
Prototyping and software for safe production from the very first tube
A key element for success in tube processing is prototyping. All Transfluid machines can be operated manually to produce the first set of tubes. In addition to this, tools are available to measure the component, or even the whole set of components, in a flexible way and directly on the item and generate accurate digital data. The T project software makes it possible to process isometrics directly from CAD. Both the technical department and the machine operator can use a number of different interfaces to import data and run collision tests.
“With our advanced software, even the very first tube is ready to be used in a manufacturing process,” concluded Flaeper. This way, Transfluid offers tubes to the manufacturers of agrotechnical products, which are ready to be incorporated and produced in a way that is extremely close to the final manufacturing standards; they are necessary for a functioning and reliable hydraulics system.
Transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH
www.transfluid.net
